Pendle residents take on Ice Bucket Challenge

It has been a chilling few weeks for Pendle residents - as many joined an international craze to raise awareness and money for charity.

The Ice Bucket Challenge has swept across social media in a bid to drive up funds for the Motor Neurone Disease (MND) Association or other causes.

IN MEMORY: Friends and family of Dave Hadfield gather at The Morris Dancers, in Colne, to take on the Ice Bucket Challenge in his memory (S)

And throughout the borough many have been coming up with unique ways of taking on the dampening dare, which requires anybody nominated to have a bucket of ice cold water thrown over their head.

In Colne, a group of people gathered outside The Morris Dancers, in Byron Road, in memory of Dave Hadfield. Dave (61), remembered for his commitment to sport and business in Pendle, died following a short but courageous battle with motor neurone disease in March.

Dave’s wife Tina said: “It is unbelievable that so much awareness is being raised. The Ice Bucket Challenge was fun, and was organised by Domino Day - the girlfriend of my youngest son Jordan.

“She works at the Morris Dancers, so got all the authorisation from the landlady. £212 was raised in an hour and a half, and the landlady is going to have a permanent collection box there now.”

Elsewhere in the town, Colne dad and community champion Matthew Eyre allowed passers-by to give him a soaking outside Colne Market Hall, in exchange for a donation to the MND Assocation and the Friends of Serenity.

Councillors have also been embracing the cold, while our readers have been sending us their videos to appear on our website.

And Jimmy Trigg, of Birtwistle Avene, Colne, also put his own unique slant on the viral challenge, by completing it numerous times throughout the same day.

The 27-year-old said: “Somebody nominated me to do the Ice Bucket Challenge on Facebook and I thought because everybody was doing it in their back garden or yard that I would do it up town instead.

“I did one outside Colne Library, and then I thought because everybody else had done it once that I would go around the pubs. I went to the Union Exchange, The Red Lion Hotel, Market Street Tavern, the Duke of Lancaster, the Crown Hotel, and The Queen Hotel - all in the same day.

“I took a bucket around with me and raised £68.01 for Pendleside Hospice. It was brilliant but absolutely freezing.”

In Barnoldswick, the Edgar family is just pleased to see motor neurone disease getting increased profile.

Jayne Edgar (56), of Kelbrook Road, was diagnosed with the disease eight years ago and now requires 24-hour care from a combination of family and a team of home visit carers.

Daughters Penny (30) and Gemma (32) took the ice bucket challenge alongside carer Brian Buma in a bid to keep the rare condition in the minds of the wider public.

Penny said: “I don’t think that many people have heard of it unless you are unlucky enough to suffer with it or know somebody who does.

“It’s amazing the way it has taken off on social media with celebrities doing the ice bucket challenge.

“We’ve been doing little bits of fund-raising over the years for the MND Association but what has happened is just incredible, more than £4m. has been raised now.

“I think there’s only about 5,000 people who suffer with it in the UK so it is quite rare. The MND Association fund research and care teams and are really quite helpful with fund-raising ideas.

“This is just a craze but there other ways of raising money so I’d urge people to consider the charity for other challenges.”